In combustion apparatuses many materials are converted to simple, analytically well determinable inorganic compounds by combustion in excess oxygen. The apparatus must be so designed that solid, liquid, and gaseous samples can be completely burned in it. It is desirable that the spatial arrangement of the apparatus should be compact.
It is known to use combustion apparatus of the type known generically as Wickbold apparatus to meet these requirements. Such an apparatus consists of a cold combustion space, a condenser, an absorption device, and a burner. The cold combustion space and the condenser form a unit and are placed at right angles to one another, while the burner and the absorption device are connected by ground glass joints. Solid, liquid, and gaseous samples can be burned (G-I-T, Fachz. Lab., 21. Jg. Sept. 11, 1977, pages 944-950).
Strongly soot-forming or sublimating samples such as organometallic or silicon compounds cannot be completely burned with the usual apparatus. Alkali-containing samples quickly result in destruction of the testing apparatus, especially of the burner. Moreover, the usual apparatus requires a large space and demands a time-consuming rearrangement when tasks are changed.